Men's health | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/mens-health
Latest news and features from theguardian.com, the world's leading liberal voiceen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015Tue, 03 Mar 2015 19:54:14 GMT2015-03-03T19:54:14Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015The Guardianhttp://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttp://www.theguardian.com
Saunas help you live longer, study findshttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/feb/23/saunas-help-you-live-longer-study-finds
<p>Research tracking 2,000 Finnish men for decades suggests regular use gives protection from heart attacks, strokes and other conditions</p><p>A study of Finnish men suggests frequent sauna baths may help you live longer.</p><p>That is welcome news if it proves to be true – not just in Finland where saunas are commonplace, but for Americans shivering in a snowy Nordic-like winter.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/feb/23/saunas-help-you-live-longer-study-finds">Continue reading...</a>Health & wellbeingHeart attackHealthFinlandMen's healthEuropeLife and styleSocietyWorld newsMon, 23 Feb 2015 18:49:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/feb/23/saunas-help-you-live-longer-study-findsPhotograph: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/GettyFinns in a public sauna in Helsinki. The study found several saunas a week gave the most benefits.Photograph: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/GettyFinns in a public sauna in Helsinki. The study found several saunas a week gave the most benefits.Associated Press2015-02-23T18:49:01Z‘My solution to depression was never medical. What ultimately helped me was time’http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/feb/22/my-solution-to-depression-was-never-medical-matt-haig
<p>Novelist Matt Haig on family, writing and his recovery from depression<br><br>• <a href="http://gu.com/p/45q5a">Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig – extract</a></p><p><strong>Why did it take you 15 years to get the courage to write about depression?</strong><br />I was meant to be writing a blog for the Books Trust, as their writer in residence, about novel writing but ran out of things to say and was starting to repeat myself. So I thought: OK, I’ll write about depression, this thing I had always had inside me and wanted to get out. And I got an incredible response, not because the blog was great but because I’ve noticed when anyone talks honestly about depression, it breeds a warm, sincere response from people. Everybody has a story about depression yet, for decades, we have been silent about it.</p><p><strong>Is writing a way out of depression?</strong><br />Writing is not the way but it helps. In February 2000, I was in the depths of depression. I was 24 and back from Ibiza, living at home in Newark [Nottinghamshire], in my childhood bedroom. I started writing bits and pieces – unreadable, angsty stuff. Articulating what is in your head is therapeutic. Words are a shared thing – depression lends itself to melodrama: you believe you’re going through something no one else has been through. At 31, Abraham Lincoln wrote: “I’m the most miserable person now living.” That is the drama of being a young man. That is the drama of depression.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/feb/22/my-solution-to-depression-was-never-medical-matt-haig">Continue reading...</a>Autobiography and memoirDepressionMental healthHealthSuicide ratesSocietyBooksCultureMen's healthSun, 22 Feb 2015 08:30:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/feb/22/my-solution-to-depression-was-never-medical-matt-haigPhotograph: Gary Calton/ObserverMatt Haig at home in York: ‘Everybody has a story about depression yet, for decades, we have been silent about it.’ Photograph: Gary Calton for the ObserverPhotograph: Gary Calton/ObserverMatt Haig at home in York: ‘Everybody has a story about depression yet, for decades, we have been silent about it.’ Photograph: Gary Calton for the ObserverInterview by Kate Kellaway2015-02-22T08:30:04ZMen do cry: one man’s experience of depressionhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/22/men-do-cry-depression-matt-haig-reasons-to-stay-alive
<p>It’s one of the deadliest diseases on the planet, often still shrouded in a sense of shame. And for men under 35, suicide following depression is now the leading cause of death. Novelist Matt Haig recounts his own experience of suicidal thoughts and the long path to recovery<br><br>• <a href="http://gu.com/p/45qav">Matt Haig Q&amp;A: ‘My solution to depression was never medical’</a><br><br></p><p>I can remember the day the old me died. It started with a thought. Something was going wrong. That was the start. Before I realised what it was. And then, a second or so later, there was a strange sensation inside my head. Some biological activity in the rear of my skull, not far above my neck. The cerebellum. A pulsing or intense flickering, as though a butterfly was trapped inside, and a tingling sensation. I did not yet know of the strange physical effects depression and anxiety would create. I just thought I was about to die. And then my heart started to go. Then I started to go. I sank, fast, falling into a new claustrophobic and suffocating reality. And it would be way over a year before I would feel anything like even half-normal again.</p><p>The weird thing about depression is that, even though you might have suicidal thoughts, the fear of death is the same</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/aug/15/suicide-silence-depressed-men">Suicide and silence: why depressed men are dying for somebody to talk to</a> </p><p>I am not anti pill. I am pro anything that works and I know pills do work for a lot of people</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/22/men-do-cry-depression-matt-haig-reasons-to-stay-alive">Continue reading...</a>DepressionMental healthHealthMen's healthSuicide ratesSocietyHealth, mind and bodyAutobiography and memoirBooksSun, 22 Feb 2015 08:30:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/22/men-do-cry-depression-matt-haig-reasons-to-stay-alivePhotograph: xxPhotograph: xxMatt Haig2015-02-22T08:30:04ZDepression and the fragility of the strong, silent male | Yvonne Robertshttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/08/depression-drives-many-men-to-commit-suicide
<p>Suicide is the single biggest cause of death among men under 50. That truth must be faced</p><p>On Thursday, the bruised and tearful face of former footballer and chairman of the Professional Footballers’ Association, Clarke Carlisle, 35, appeared on the <a href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/6324657/Clarke-Carlisle-I-leapt-in-front-of-lorry-hoping-to-die.html" title="">front page of the <em>Sun</em></a>. He was released from psychiatric hospital two weeks ago. In a clip on the paper’s website, he appears so raw and vulnerable that to watch it provokes thoughts of a modern-day version of Bedlam with us as Hogarthian gawpers treating the mentally fragile as entertainment.</p><p>The paper’s headline read: “I leapt in front of a lorry hoping to die.” Carlisle, a father of three, has suffered from depression for 18 months. He explained that the end of his career, the curtailment of his contract as a TV sports pundit and a struggle with alcohol led to financial problems. He felt the lack of “a sense of worth and value in life”.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/08/depression-drives-many-men-to-commit-suicide">Continue reading...</a>Suicide ratesSocietyDepressionMen's healthHealth & wellbeingSun, 08 Feb 2015 01:16:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/08/depression-drives-many-men-to-commit-suicidePhotograph: Graeme Robertson/ObserverClarke Carlisle survived his depression, but every day 12 men in Britain are driven to suicide. Photograph: Graeme Robertson for the ObserverPhotograph: Graeme Robertson/ObserverClarke Carlisle survived his depression, but every day 12 men in Britain are driven to suicide. Photograph: Graeme Robertson for the ObserverYvonne Roberts2015-02-08T01:16:01ZAre more men getting eating disorders?http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/18/are-more-men-getting-eating-disorders
Since 2000, the number of men diagnosed with eating disorders has risen by nearly 30%. What’s going on?<p>“<sup>‘</sup>Somewhere deep within me is a destructive urge,” says Colin. “It’s this gremlin in my&nbsp;head that hits me at unexpected moments. Ultimately, complete recovery requires changing my perception of myself. It&nbsp;is&nbsp;going to be a struggle, but it’s achievable.” Colin is a 50-year-old community development manager, and has battled an eating disorder for more than two decades.</p><p>Eating disorders have long been perceived as an issue affecting women and girls, but this idea has been shown to be increasingly warped: the number of men being diagnosed has risen by 27% since 2000.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/18/are-more-men-getting-eating-disorders">Continue reading...</a>Men's healthLife and styleHealth & wellbeingEating disordersHealthMental healthSocietySun, 18 Jan 2015 16:59:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/18/are-more-men-getting-eating-disordersPhotograph: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images'Masculine concerns can include wanting a lean or defined physique.'Photograph: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images'Masculine concerns can include wanting a lean or defined physique.'David Cox2015-01-18T16:59:07ZProstate cancer experts recommend screening offer for Australian menhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/dec/04/prostate-cancer-experts-recommend-screening-australian-men
<p>Draft guidelines recommend all men over the age of 50 be offered testing every two years</p><p>Australia’s leading cancer agencies have recommended that all men over the age of 50 be offered prostate cancer testing every two years.</p><p>Draft guidelines, released Thursday at the World Cancer Congress in Melbourne, also calls for the end to digital rectal examinations as part of testing procedures for the cancer.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/dec/04/prostate-cancer-experts-recommend-screening-australian-men">Continue reading...</a>Prostate cancerAustralia newsHealthMen's healthThu, 04 Dec 2014 02:10:35 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/dec/04/prostate-cancer-experts-recommend-screening-australian-menPhotograph: Getty Images/Visuals UnlimitedProstate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in Australian men.Photograph: Getty Images/Visuals UnlimitedProstate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in Australian men.Australian Associated Press2014-12-04T02:10:35ZReaders responses: can you be an environmentalist and still have kids?http://www.theguardian.com/vital-signs/2014/nov/13/sea-level-stories-population-climate-change
<p>In recognition of World Vasectomy Day, we asked our readers to tell us where environmental concerns fit into their family planning – and you responded</p><ul><li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/vital-signs/2014/nov/05/population-increase-resource-carbon-birth-control-parents">Can you call yourself an environmentalist if you have kids?</a></li><li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/oct/26/male-vasectomy-increase-recession-children-economy-afford">Counter reproductive: more men had vasectomies during the US recession</a></li></ul><p>When Paul Ehrlich published The Population Bomb in 1969, sparking the zero population growth movement, it was a message many in the West were ready to hear. ZPG clubs sprouted up everywhere. “Two Will Do” buttons marked their wearers as educated and progressive.</p><p>Then two things happened: first, Ehrlich’s extremely dire projections – that untold millions would starve to death by the end of the 1970s – failed to hold true thanks to the Green Revolution, which pumped agriculture into overdrive, and second, the book’s core advice – that a couple limit themselves to two kids who would replace them when they died – was taken to the extreme by governments mandating sterilization or otherwise limiting the number of children people were allowed to have.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/vital-signs/2014/nov/13/sea-level-stories-population-climate-change">Continue reading...</a>Vital signsGuardian sustainable businessEnvironmentMen's healthThu, 13 Nov 2014 15:51:51 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/vital-signs/2014/nov/13/sea-level-stories-population-climate-changePhotograph: AlamyThe conversation around population remains supercharged. It’s the pregnant elephant in the room in conversations about the environment or resource availability.Photograph: AlamyThe conversation around population remains supercharged. It’s the pregnant elephant in the room in conversations about the environment or resource availability.Amy Westervelt, Guardian readers2014-11-13T15:51:51ZDesperately seeking sperm donors | Sophie Elmirsthttp://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/09/-sp-desperately-seeking-sperm-donors
<p>Squeamish, ashamed, or simply fearful? Whatever the reason, men don’t want to donate sperm – and rising demand has created a dire shortage. Can a new National Sperm Bank stiffen their resolve?</p><p>On a recent Thursday morning, Laura Witjens marched along the over-full concourse of Waterloo station looking for suitable young men. She carried two white T-shirts, each bearing a block-capital inscription: “I AM A VERY SPECIAL MAN” and “I AM A SPERM DONOR”. The plan was to show unsuspecting commuters one followed by the other, to test a theory that might have seemed self-evident: men were happy to be seen as special, but they were less eager to talk about their sperm.</p><p>Witjens, a striking blonde Dutchwoman wearing a black-and-white striped dress, picked out a young man with slicked-back hair named Andrey, who was handing out samples of a new Dior perfume. Witjens said she’d take one if he spoke to her for 20 seconds.</p><p>For every 100 people who get in contact about sperm donation, only one goes on to become a donor</p><p>The best donors are comfortable with the idea of creating children who might one day turn up at their door</p><p><em>A83</em><br /><em>Blue eyes</em><br /><em>Blonde hair</em><br /><em>“Good looking”</em><br /><em>3rd year medical student</em><br /><em>Intentions: country GP? Healthcare of the elderly (liked geriatrics)</em><br /><em>Interests: Travel, sport (football and rugby), music, literature, theatre.</em><br /><em>6ft.</em></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/09/-sp-desperately-seeking-sperm-donors">Continue reading...</a>UK newsFertility problemsReproductionMen's healthHealthScienceSocietyThu, 09 Oct 2014 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/09/-sp-desperately-seeking-sperm-donorsPhotograph: Jean JullienIllustration by Jean JullienPhotograph: Jean JullienIllustration by Jean JullienPhotograph: Graeme RobertsonLaura Witjens at Birmingham Women’s Fertility Centre, site of the National Sperm Bank which opens on 31 October.Photograph: Graeme RobertsonLaura Witjens at Birmingham Women’s Fertility Centre, site of the National Sperm Bank which opens on 31 October.Photograph: Graeme RobertsonSperm samples are dyed in the lab so they can be tracked during analysis.Photograph: Graeme RobertsonSperm samples are dyed in the lab so they can be tracked during analysis.Photograph: Mads Nissen/Panos PicturesOle Schou, the founder and director of the world’s largest sperm bank, Cryos ­International – in Aarhus, Denmark.Photograph: Mads Nissen/Panos PicturesOle Schou, the founder and director of the world’s largest sperm bank, Cryos ­International – in Aarhus, Denmark.Photograph: Graeme Robertson/Graeme RobertsonThe laboratory at Birmingham Women’s Fertility Centre.Photograph: Graeme Robertson/Graeme RobertsonThe laboratory at Birmingham Women’s Fertility Centre.Photograph: Jean JullienDesperately seeking sperm donors.Photograph: Jean JullienDesperately seeking sperm donors.Sophie Elmhirst2014-10-09T05:00:00Z‘If I didn’t come to the shed, I’d be alone, watching TV’ | Emma Howardhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/oct/07/mens-sheds-movement-isolation-loneliness-mental-health
<p>Men’s Sheds, a communal woodworking project that started in Australia, has taken off in the UK and is helping men to combat isolation and loneliness</p><p>“I thought I was too old for this,” says Les Leahy, 87, as he brandishes a half finished table lamp and a toolbox. “When I first came here, I hadn’t touched my tools in 25 years. I thought I couldn’t use them anymore – I was planning to throw them all away.”</p><p>A retired woodwork teacher, Leahy is part of a growing project to improve the mental health of older men through a simple solution: sheds. Three months ago, Les joined a local group in Camden, north London, who meet to mend and create woodwork in a communal space.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/oct/07/mens-sheds-movement-isolation-loneliness-mental-health">Continue reading...</a>Mental healthHealthOlder peopleVoluntary sectorVolunteeringSocietyMen's healthHealth & wellbeingTue, 07 Oct 2014 14:00:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/oct/07/mens-sheds-movement-isolation-loneliness-mental-healthPhotograph: Graham Turner/GuardianLes Leahy in the Camden Town Shed with Mike Jenn, who suggests men tend not to recognise their need for social interaction. Photograph: Graham Turner for the GuardianPhotograph: Graham Turner/GuardianLes Leahy in the Camden Town Shed with Mike Jenn, who suggests men tend not to recognise their need for social interaction. Photograph: Graham Turner for the GuardianEmma Howard2014-10-07T14:00:03ZScientists ready to test lab-grown penises on menhttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/oct/05/laboratory-penises-test-on-men
Research aims to develop organs to help patients who have injuries or congenital abnormalities<p>Penises grown in laboratories could soon be tested on men by scientists developing technology to help people with congenital abnormalities, or who have undergone surgery for aggressive cancer or suffered traumatic injury.</p><p>Researchers at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/oct/04/penis-transplants-anthony-atala-interview">are assessing engineered penises for safety, function and durability</a>. They hope to receive approval from the US Food and Drug Administration and to move to human testing within five years.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/oct/05/laboratory-penises-test-on-men">Continue reading...</a>Medical researchScienceHealthSocietyWorld newsMen's healthLife and styleSat, 04 Oct 2014 23:04:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/oct/05/laboratory-penises-test-on-menPRProfessor Anthony Atala said studies on rabbits have been ‘very encouraging’.PRProfessor Anthony Atala said studies on rabbits have been ‘very encouraging’.Dara Mohammadi2014-10-04T23:04:00ZThe lab-grown penis: approaching a medical milestonehttp://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/oct/04/penis-transplants-anthony-atala-interview
After more than 20 years of research, a team of scientists are bioengineering penises in the lab which may soon be transplanted safely on to patients. It is an extraordinary medical endeavour that has implications for a wide range of disorders<p>Gathered around an enclosure at the <a href="http://www.wakehealth.edu/WFIRM/">Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine</a> in North Carolina in 2008, Anthony Atala and his colleagues watched anxiously to see if two rabbits would have sex. The suspense was short-lived: within a minute of being put together, the male mounted the female and successfully mated.</p><p>While it’s not clear what the rabbits made of the moment, for Atala it was definitely special. It was proof that a concept he’d been working on since 1992 – that penises could be grown in a laboratory and transplanted to humans – was theoretically possible. The male rabbit was one of 12 for which he had bioengineered a penis; all tried to mate; in eight there was proof of ejaculation; four went on to produce offspring.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/oct/04/penis-transplants-anthony-atala-interview">Continue reading...</a>Medical researchStem cellsBiologySexual healthScienceMen's healthSat, 04 Oct 2014 18:00:06 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/oct/04/penis-transplants-anthony-atala-interviewPhotograph: PRDr Anthony Atala: ‘We were completely stuck. We had no idea how to make this structure, let alone make it so it would perform like the natural organ.’Photograph: PRDr Anthony Atala: ‘We were completely stuck. We had no idea how to make this structure, let alone make it so it would perform like the natural organ.’Dara Mohammadi2014-10-04T18:00:06ZJust five alcoholic drinks a week could reduce sperm qualityhttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/oct/03/bmj-open-sperm-quality-alcohol-five-units-study-semen
BMJ Open study suggests that modest habitual alcohol consumption has adverse effects on semen<p>Drinking just five units of alcohol every week could reduce the quality of a man’s sperm, new research suggests. And the more alcohol consumed, the weaker the quality of the sperm, the study found. Men of a reproductive age should be advised to steer clear of habitual drinking, the authors said.</p><p>The study, published in the journal BMJ Open, examined 1,200 Danish male military recruits between the ages of 18 and 28, all of whom underwent a medical examination between 2008 and 2012. As part of the assessment they were asked about their drinking habits and invited to provide sperm and blood samples.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/oct/03/bmj-open-sperm-quality-alcohol-five-units-study-semen">Continue reading...</a>ReproductionMen's healthFertility problemsHealthAlcoholSocietyBiologyScienceThu, 02 Oct 2014 23:01:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/oct/03/bmj-open-sperm-quality-alcohol-five-units-study-semenPhotograph: /AlamyA BMJ Open study of 1,200 men found that the higher the tally of weekly alcohol units, the lower the sperm quality. Photograph: AlamyPhotograph: /AlamyA BMJ Open study of 1,200 men found that the higher the tally of weekly alcohol units, the lower the sperm quality. Photograph: AlamyPress Association2014-10-02T23:01:01ZHIV protection in a pill for those at risk | @guardianlettershttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/29/hiv-protection-in-a-pill-for-those-at-risk
<p>In addition to FDA approval, the World Health Organisation has recommended pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as an option for gay men at risk of HIV (<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/29/new-hiv-drug-truvada-gay-men-us-nhs">Can a new drug help to end 30 years of blighted lives?</a>, 29 September). A process is under way within the NHS to consider its use, and an important research project is investigating how it might be best be provided in England. With about nine gay men a day getting diagnosed with HIV in the UK, we need to implement effectively targeted PrEP as soon as possible and demonstrate that we’re prepared to turn official words in support of prevention into action and funding.<br /><strong>Yusef Azad</strong><br /><em>Director of policy and campaigns, </em><a href="http://www.nat.org.uk/"><em>NAT (National AIDS Trust)<br /></em></a><em><br /></em><em><br /></em></p><p>• This letter was amended on 1 October 2014. Due to an editing error, the words “for Truvada for HIV-positive patients” had been erroneously inserted into the first sentence<br /></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/29/hiv-protection-in-a-pill-for-those-at-risk">Continue reading...</a>Aids and HIVSexual healthHealthSocietyMen's healthHealth & wellbeingLife and styleNHSMon, 29 Sep 2014 19:09:33 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/29/hiv-protection-in-a-pill-for-those-at-riskPhotograph: Michael Freeman/ Michael Freeman/CORBISHIV, the human immunodeficiency virus. Photograph: Michael Freeman/ Michael Freeman/CORBISPhotograph: Michael Freeman/ Michael Freeman/CORBISHIV, the human immunodeficiency virus. Photograph: Michael Freeman/ Michael Freeman/CORBISGuardian Staff2014-09-29T19:09:33ZMen’s after-shave moisturising creams | Ed Cumminghttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/sep/28/mens-after-shave-moisturising-creams
<p>Beards may be having a moment, but for those men still preferring the clean-shaven look, these lotions and potions will give you much satisfaction</p><p>I have worn a beard this year, roughly since they became uncool again in April. While I’ve enjoyed the feeling of kinship with my cave-dwelling forebears, I ended up shaving it off because I feared that looking like I’d slept in the park was holding back my career. The skin underneath was angry, unloved and weirdly pale, so I&nbsp;treated it to some products. Foams I&nbsp;find are much of a muchness – it’s the moisturiser afterwards that makes the difference. Best was the<strong> Givenchy Man’s Pro-Energising Massive Moisturiser</strong> (&pound;30.50, <a href="http://harrods.com" title="">harrods.com</a>) which, despite its name, came in quite a small tube. But it had a cool, non-greasy finish that is helping my face get used to its nakedness. <strong>Aveda Men’s Pure-Formance Dual Action Aftershave</strong> (&pound;26.50, <a href="http://aveda.com" title="">aveda.com</a>) came a close second, with a clean, slightly citrusy aroma.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/sep/28/mens-after-shave-moisturising-creams">Continue reading...</a>Men's healthBeautyLife and styleHealth & wellbeingSun, 28 Sep 2014 04:59:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/sep/28/mens-after-shave-moisturising-creamsPhotograph: /PRGetting closer: six products to take the sting out of shaving.Photograph: /PRGetting closer: six products to take the sting out of shaving.Ed Cumming2014-09-28T04:59:11ZMale birth control: if you build it, will they come? | Jessica Valentihttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/16/-sp-male-birth-control-if-you-build-it-will-they-come
<p>A scientific breakthrough has gone viral, and it works. Except for one thing: guys who already hate wearing condoms have to get a needle in their penis first</p><p>Do you know how hard it is to get a man to wear a condom? It’s so difficult that the Gates Foundation <a href="http://www.grandchallenges.org/explorations/topics/pages/nextgenerationcondomround11.aspx">launched a contest last year</a> for people to create a “next-generation” condom to increase pleasure in the hopes that <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/24/getting-men-to-want-to-use-condoms/">men would actually use it</a>. Planned Parenthood even <a href="http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-info/birth-control/condom">provides people with a script of thing to say</a> when your partner refuses to wear one.</p><p>So you’ll have to excuse my trepidation when I’m told that the next revolution in male birth control doesn’t involve something guys have to wear, but something they’ll happily <em>inject</em> ... and not in their arms.</p><p>Open contributions: <a href="#comments">Why or why not?</a></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/16/-sp-male-birth-control-if-you-build-it-will-they-come">Continue reading...</a>Contraception and family planningPregnancyHealthMen's healthWomenHealth & wellbeingParents and parentingFamilyTue, 16 Sep 2014 11:30:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/16/-sp-male-birth-control-if-you-build-it-will-they-comePhotograph: Universal Pictures‘There will always be the Neanderthals, there will always be guys who say don’t touch my junk, there will never be 100% of men who want it,’ says the group behind Vasalgel.Photograph: Universal Pictures‘There will always be the Neanderthals, there will always be guys who say don’t touch my junk, there will never be 100% of men who want it,’ says the group behind Vasalgel.Jessica Valenti2014-09-16T11:30:09ZThe death and deformity caused by male circumcision in Africa can’t be ignored | Ally Fogghttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/25/male-circumcision-ceremonies-death-deformity-africa
For thousands of African boys, the silence of the international community has devastating health consequences<p>This week 200,000 festival-goers are gathering in Mutoto, Uganda, where they will enjoy the music, dancing, party atmosphere and the traditional ritual circumcision without anaesthetic of at least 1,000 teenage boys.</p><p>Males from participating tribes are told that if they do not volunteer they will be captured and circumcised by force. <a href="http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/658786-imbalu-circumcision-season-to-attract-200-000-visitors.html" title="">One MP said the chilling words</a>: “If you know any Mugisu who is dodging the circumcision, show him to us and you will get sh500,000 [&pound;115] as a reward.” The Ugandan Tourist Board is marketing this as a major tourist attraction, with the <a href="http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/658932-imbalu-domestic-tourism-cluster-comes-alive.html" title="">blessing of President Museveni</a>. This comes just two weeks after a mob in neighbouring Kenya reportedly abducted at least 12 men from different tribes and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-28746101" title="">forcibly circumcised them in the street</a>. Dozens more were said to be camping outside the police station for protection. No one has been yet arrested for the assaults.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/25/male-circumcision-ceremonies-death-deformity-africa">Continue reading...</a>CircumcisionHealthMen's healthSocietySouth AfricaAfricaLife and styleWorld newsUgandaWorld Health OrganisationUK newsMon, 25 Aug 2014 16:09:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/25/male-circumcision-ceremonies-death-deformity-africaPhotograph: Goran Tomasevic/REUTERSMasai people gather for celebrations a day before the circumcision of males from a village in Kenya. Photograph: Goran Tomasevic/REUTERSPhotograph: Goran Tomasevic/REUTERSMasai people gather for celebrations a day before the circumcision of males from a village in Kenya. Photograph: Goran Tomasevic/REUTERSAlly Fogg2014-08-25T16:09:03ZWhat I'm really thinking: the man with breastshttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/aug/23/what-really-thinking-man-with-breasts
'There's nothing for it but to soldier on, forever in fear of wearing white or being naked in front of anyone'<p>Oh look, here comes another shirtless Adonis walking down the street, glistening in the midday sun and pretending not to notice the admiring glances. I adjust my T-shirt self-consciously and slink on by. If I ever took my top off in public, there would be an outcry. After all, bare breasts on a&nbsp;woman are enough to cause a&nbsp;commotion. Bare breasts on a man are something else entirely.</p><p>There's not much sympathy for chaps like me who've inexplicably sprouted bosoms. &quot;Sweaty man tits&quot; are more likely to provoke gales of laughter. I guess most people think man boobs are just a&nbsp;side-effect of being overweight and fair game for ridicule. But that's not the case.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/aug/23/what-really-thinking-man-with-breasts">Continue reading...</a>Men's healthHealth & wellbeingLife and styleSat, 23 Aug 2014 05:00:23 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/aug/23/what-really-thinking-man-with-breastsLo Cole/Guardian'There’s not much sympathy for chaps like me who have inexplicably sprouted bosoms.' Photograph: Lo Cole for the GuardianLo Cole/Guardian'There’s not much sympathy for chaps like me who have inexplicably sprouted bosoms.' Photograph: Lo Cole for the GuardianAnonymous2014-08-23T05:00:23ZGermany: the world's capital of penis enlargementhttp://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/jul/31/germany-the-worlds-capital-of-penis-enlargment-country
<p>One in five surgeries takes place in Germany, according to data released by plastic surgeons. Find out what other aesthetic operations are popular worldwide</p><ul><li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/feb/03/uk-plastic-surgery-2013-most-popular">UK cosmetic surgery statistics 2013: which are the most popular?</a></li></ul><p>It seems that spam emails inviting men to try increasing the size of their member would be best targeted to addresses ending in .de.<br /></p><p>According to the <a href="http://www.isaps.org/news/isaps-global-statistics">latest data release by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS)</a>, there were 2,786 operations estimated to have taken place in Europe’s biggest country - which is more than in any other nation. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/jul/31/germany-the-worlds-capital-of-penis-enlargment-country">Continue reading...</a>Health & wellbeingMen's healthGermanyCosmetic surgeryThu, 31 Jul 2014 10:38:14 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/jul/31/germany-the-worlds-capital-of-penis-enlargment-countryPhotograph: S. Oskar/ S. Oskar/Corbis11.6m surgical procedures were estimated to have taken place worldwide in 2013. Photograph: S. Oskar/CorbisPhotograph: S. Oskar/ S. Oskar/Corbis11.6m surgical procedures were estimated to have taken place worldwide in 2013. Photograph: S. Oskar/CorbisGeorge Arnett2014-07-31T10:38:14ZThe vasectomy-cancer link made me wince. But ignorance is the real danger | James Mackenziehttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/14/vasectomy-prostate-cancer-men-ignorance-real-danger
Vasectomies increase the risk of prostate cancer, a survey has found. But for men the taboo about discussing sexual health is perhaps a bigger threat<p>When I had a vasectomy a few years ago it never occurred to me that it might have implications for my health. I just knew I didn't want kids. But men considering the snip now are likely to, as <a href="http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2014/07/vasectomy-may-increase-risk-of-aggressive-prostate-cancer/" title="">research from Harvard</a> indicates it <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/11/vasectomy-prostate-cancer-study" title="">increases the chance of developing prostate cancer by 10%</a>.</p><p>And there's worse: Harvard's data suggests that vasectomies are associated with particularly aggressive varieties of prostate cancer, and a 19% higher risk of dying from the disease. I challenge any man reading this not to squirm at the idea of facing not just prostate cancer, but some amped-up full-fat version. I know I did.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/14/vasectomy-prostate-cancer-men-ignorance-real-danger">Continue reading...</a>Prostate cancerMen's healthContraception and family planningSexual healthCancerHealth & wellbeingTesticular cancerHealthLife and styleSocietyUK newsWorld newsMon, 14 Jul 2014 12:57:29 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/14/vasectomy-prostate-cancer-men-ignorance-real-dangerAlphafrance/Alphafrance'I’ve never heard anyone discuss being impotent, yet the vast numbers of blue pills can’t all be going to male sex workers and the weekend-long orgy crowd.' Photograph: AlphafranceAlphafrance/Alphafrance'I’ve never heard anyone discuss being impotent, yet the vast numbers of blue pills can’t all be going to male sex workers and the weekend-long orgy crowd.' Photograph: AlphafranceJames Mackenzie2014-07-14T12:57:29ZVasectomy raises risk of lethal prostate cancer, study showshttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/11/vasectomy-prostate-cancer-study
Danger seems to be highest among men who had a vasectomy before age 38, according to 24-year study of 50,000 men<p>Men who have a vasectomy have a greater risk of developing the most aggressive form of prostate cancer, a study has found.</p><p>Harvard scientists analysed the medical records of nearly 50,000 men and found that those who had the operation were 10% more likely to be diagnosed with the disease.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/11/vasectomy-prostate-cancer-study">Continue reading...</a>Prostate cancerContraception and family planningCancerHealthSocietyMedical researchScienceMen's healthHealth & wellbeingLife and styleFri, 11 Jul 2014 14:40:35 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/11/vasectomy-prostate-cancer-studyGetty ImagesProstate cancer cells. Photograph: Getty ImagesGetty ImagesProstate cancer cells. Photograph: Getty ImagesIan Sample, science editor2014-07-11T14:40:35Z